


7/7 Update Pt.2|Gamertags, Gay Teens, and Only Being Good At Math

by orphan_account



Series: YOUTUBE RPF [10]
Category: The Derp Crew, Youtube RPF
Genre: Aggressive Jealousy, Aggressive Rebounding, Angst, Anthony and John share a last name because they're brothers and I only know John's last name, Anxiety Attacks, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Sexual Situations, Awkwardness, Black Eyes, Bullying, Consensual Underage Sex, Depression, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Facebook is replacing Twitter, Gen, Genderqueer Character, Hair-pulling, High School, Homophobia, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, It Gets Worse, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mental Instability, Mutual Pining, Non-Consensual Outing, Non-Graphic Smut, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Ideal- Just Good Enough, Pity Sex, Praise Kink, Queer Character, Safe Sane and Consensual, Safewords, Self Confidence Issues, Sexting, Sexual Confusion, Sexual Tension, Stalking, Tags May Change, Teenage Drama, Threats of Violence, Underage Drinking, Video & Computer Games, Walking In On Someone, Why did I make Tom like this?, emotional dependency, exploring kinks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:47:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9916151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: **THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS**Thank you for all Kudos and Comments. I get busy sometimes, but they boost my motivation to write more. Kudos are wonderful, and comments are a great place to talk to you guys. Thanks again! :DSummary:It all started when a Freshman moved up to a Sophomore's math class, and a chain reaction began that would result in at least one black eye, six-plus crushes, over two thousand total times of playing Garry's Mod, and a Guatemalan getting shoved into a locker. Not one of the tall lockers, the little box part.Important (Trigger Warnings, etc.):BEFORE READING, PLEASE READ THE TAGS. THERE ARE A LOT OF DARKER THEMES SOON TO APPEAR IN THE STORY.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For reference, from youngest to oldest:
> 
> Aphex is on the super yOUNG side of 15 and is in 9th grade
> 
> Ze is 15 and 1/2 and is in 9th grade
> 
> GaLm is ALMOST 16 but wasn't old enough to be in 10th grade by like... A month, so he's in 9th grade too
> 
> Chilled is just now 16 and is in 10th grade
> 
> John is about 16 and 3/4 and is in 11th grade
> 
> Adam is 17 and 1/2 and is in 12th grade
> 
> Tom is 18 and is in 12th grade
> 
> Max is 18 and 1/2 and is in 12th grade

Anthony opened the door to his room and had only just sat down, dropping his backpack, when a grinning John strolled in. Anthony glared.

"What do you want?" John pointed a finger at his brother.

"YOU. Have a crush." Anthony froze, eyes wide, before he stood up, easily an inch taller than his brother, despite John being about a year older.

"So? Besides, you do too, so don't even fucking start." John just kept grinning.

"What if I told her? Who is it, anyways?" Anthony let out a disgruntled breath, turning a bit red.

"It's nobody. Leave me alone. Besides, I know you have a crush on a Freshman. And I know it's a guy!" John flinched, taking a step back.

"Kindly go fuck yourself, Anthony." Anthony rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you shouldn't have barged into my room like an idiot?" John opened his mouth to retort, but, after he couldn't think of a comeback, he simply huffed and left the room. Anthony let out a relieved sigh, laying down in his bed. He  _did_ have a crush, but, unlike his brother, it wasn't new by any means. He'd had it bad, _real bad,_  since sixth grade. What made it worse was that it was on someone a year younger than him, in the same grade as his brother's crush. And it was also a guy, making John's comments both  _unnecessary_ and  _rude._ Still, he knew just from stealing his brother's phone and looking through the texts that John wasn't into cute little guys. Unfortunately, he found it out in  _great detail._ All it really cost him was a black eye and being grossed out by his brother. The guy Anthony had a crush on was definitely not, as his brother so eloquently put it, " _...muscular, someone that would bend me over and fuck me until i cant speak, honestly. im a sinner i know leave me alone._ "

His crush was kinda short. And MORE than kinda cute. But they never interacted, to Anthony's dismay, so he was at a loss. It was only the first day of tenth grade, and Anthony already felt screwed over.

* * *

Anthony did more-or-less of a funeral march to his math class, the only class left before his lunch. He walked in and sat at his desk. The desks were set up in pairs as the teacher's policy was to ask your partner for help before asking her. It was the AP Algebra 2 class, and he also had her, Ms. Ritz, for AP Geometry 1. He was good at math, calculating numbers was his strong suit, but that was... Pretty much all, considering his teachers didn't count being a sick head-shotter as a skill. Though, it wasn't the worst. Anthony liked Ms. Ritz. He was her favorite 10th grader, being one of the smartest kids in all her classes, so she was hard on him, but he could handle the work. It was simply that the he felt drained after the realization the day before that he wouldn't see his crush practically ever.

As he sat at his desk pair, the only one without another student due to Ms. Ritz knowing he was fully capable of doing his work without help, he sighed, laying his head down. Anthony's classmates trailed in, filling the remainder of the desks that hadn't already been filled prior to Anthony's grim arrival. He kept his face down until he was startled as he heard the chair of the desk next to his jostle. Anthony looked up, and was face to face with his crush. The boy turned his head and looked at him, silent, and Anthony practically wanted to worship the beautiful forests held behind his glassy scleras. He was finally pulled away by Ms. Ritz' sharp voice, but couldn't help sneaking glances at who he now knew was named Steven. 

* * *

Anthony knew he was doomed as soon as he entered the lunch hall to see Steven sitting at a table by himself, starting on a salad. He half-ran to pay for his lunch, but slowed as he reached the table, not wanting to scare his adorable crush. He was silent sitting down on the circular stool/chair next to Steven, but then, all of a sudden, Anthony could  _smell_ him, and he smelled like  _honey_  and _the color burgundy._ His dull-blue, plastic tray clacked on the lunch table, and Steven's eyes fell on him. Anthony turned a shade redder and he bit his lip, looking down at his tray, mentally cursing at himself for fucking everything up. 

"Hi, I suppose." The silence was broken by Steven, who was sitting up straight while the other slouched. Anthony looked at him then, surprised.

"H-Hey... It's... My name's Anthony." He bit his lip once more, anxious that he would keep stuttering, but Steven's voice broke through his thoughts, somehow softer, more caring.

"You... Shouldn't do that. Your lip might bleed, which... Wouldn't be fun." Anthony blushed harder as Steven's left hand reached over, his index finger slowly pulling Anthony's bottom lip away from his teeth. Steven froze then, looking embarrassed himself.

"O-Oh, sorry... That was probably, um... Invading your personal space, sorry... About... That." Anthony felt like he was going to melt.

"Y-Yeah..." Steven tilted his head, a bit confused at Anthony's spaced-out look.

"Are you okay?" Anthony startled and came back to reality.

"Yeah? Sorry about... all that." Steven nodded.

"It's okay. You sit next to me in math class, right?" Anthony nodded dreamily, not really paying attention. He was paying more attention to his thoughts about him and Steven making out on a couch.

"My name is Steven." Anthony nodded again, blinking slowly. He noticed that Steven had  _really nice eyelashes_ that he wouldn't mind being looked up at through _while Steven gave him a-_

His thoughts were interrupted by Steven turning away, getting back to his salad. Anthony wished he could take a picture of Steven's face to look at all day, but that would be really fucking weird. He desperately searched for a conversation topic, needing to see the other's face again.

"So..." Steven paused, setting his fork down and looking over again.

"Do you... Play video games?" To Anthony's excitement, Steven's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! ...Sorry, that was loud. Yeah. Like, um... Garry's Mod...?" Anthony breathed in sharply.

"Yes! Oh my god, okay, okay... Do you have a piece of paper?" Steven quickly nodded, reaching down to his afternoon books that were underneath the table by his feet. He retrieved a piece of loose-leaf paper and handed it to Anthony, who scribbled down his cellphone number with a pen.

"Text me~," Anthony said with a grin, suddenly feeling more confident. In that moment, he saw Steven smile for the first time, and he felt  _blessed._

"I definitely will," Steven responded, mimicking Anthony's slightly suggestive tone. 

"And trust me, you HAVE to meet my other friend."

"What's his name?"

" _Anthony._ "

* * *

During his next class, AP Geometry, Anthony learned that Steven, being in gifted education, had taken Algebra 1 in eighth grade, allowing him to take two 10th grade classes, AP classes at that, but, due to the timing, his lunch schedule had changed, so the only classes he had with the other Anthony were World History and Spanish. Anthony was excited, though, that he now had two classes and LUNCH with his crush. And that they were somehow friends! There were only three classes after lunch, so two classes later he was waiting outside the school with his two new friends. Steven introduced him to the other Anthony, taller, but somehow even more tired and anxious looking than Steven. After introductions and more exchanged phone numbers, the three of them split, Anthony and Steven walking home, and the other Anthony riding the bus.

As they walked, Anthony shook his head.

"You know, my brother rides that bus too."

"Does he not live with you?"

"Nope, he lives with me."

"Then why-"

"His crush rides that bus."

"Ah." Steven stopped when Anthony did, halting in front of a very domestic-looking house. Anthony bit his lip out of habit, looking at Steven. He was probably three or four inches shorter than him, but he felt more confident. He was outwardly awkward, but seemed more confident than he let on. It was the exact opposite for Anthony. Steven sighed slowly, then getting up on his toes to again move Anthony's lip, but his balance wasn't the greatest, and he fell forwards, Anthony landing on the sidewalk underneath him, Steven's right arm unintentionally holding him down. Anthony's head landed on the grass of his small, suburban lawn, so he was only dizzy, but not because of falling.

Steven was  _on top of him,_ and he was  _warm,_ and Anthony suddenly realized he wouldn't mind if he was the one on his knees in front of Steven. He could feel his breath, their chests pressed together, and their lips just a centimeter or two apart. Anthony's face was terribly flushed, but Steven seemed calm somehow. He seemed like he was maybe  _more okay than he should be_ with their situation. He moved his arm away, and Anthony thought for a moment that he was getting up, so he moved up as well, only to have their lips clumsily brush together. Steven took the opportunity to fully kiss him, and Anthony felt practically catatonic. One of Steven's legs was to the left, from his position, of his left leg, but the other was in between his legs. Steven was on his knees, leaning down, and Anthony was laying down, his back and head curling up. Steven's knee moved up against him, and he inadvertently whined just after they stopped kissing. Steven shot him an odd look, a mix of curiosity and a smirk, and Anthony blushed harder than before, heart pounding. At that, Steven pushed himself up, and grabbed Anthony's hand, pulling him up as well. When their hands touched, Anthony breathed in sharply at the warmth that seemed to be all over Steven. He looked at the other, their hands still touching, but, without another word, Steven let go and turned away, hands in his hoodie pocket as he walked away. Anthony felt strange, like he was coming down from a high. He walked into his house and saw his mom standing in the kitchen.

"How was school, dear," she queried, too busy to look at him.

"G-Good! I'll... Be upstairs."

"Okay, honey!" When he walked up the stairs, he went into his room immediately. Not  _two minutes later,_ John barged into his room.

" _ANTHONY!"_ Anthony rolled his eyes, taking his shoes off.

"What in the holy hell could you possibly want?" John grinned, creeping up to the seated Anthony, poking his chest roughly.

"Wh-"

"I saw you  _KISSING A B_ -" Anthony stood up and punched John square in the nose before he could finish. It was quiet, and John touched his nose after a few minutes, blood staining his fingers.

"I-I-Is it...?"

"Ahah, no, just bleeding... Fuck... Have to admit, that was... That was a nice punch." Anthony rolled his eyes.

"And here I was, worried about you..." John smiled lopsidedly.

"Aww, you were worried about me?" Anthony huffed and looked away, his arms crossed.

"Shut up."

"In any case, we're even now. I punched you in the eye when you stole my phone and found out I was... gay, and you punched me in the nose when I found out  _you_ were gay." 

"I'm n-not gay! I'm bi," Anthony retorted, turning back to his brother. John waved his hand dismissively, getting up.

"Whatever, still, even Steven. We're cool now." Anthony flinched at the phrase he used, but decided against mentioning it.

"Yeah... Also, I think you should get some tissues, I don't want your blood on my nice carpet. Also leave." John raised an eyebrow, but complied, holding a hand under his nose to catch the blood before he could get a tissue. Closing his door, Anthony sighed.

"Finally alone. Fucking christ," he muttered, heading back to his bed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw he had a text from a number he recognized as Steven. Adding him to his contacts under 'Steven (❤ ?)', he went back to read the text.

Steven (❤ ?): So.

Anthony frowned, texting back.

You: are we gunna talk about... it? x.x

 Steven (❤ ?): Do you want to?

You: maybe, i don't know

Steven (❤ ?): I thought it was... Hmm.

You: can i tell the truth? (please dont judge me)

Steven (❤ ?): If you want to, sure.

Anthony stared down at his phone, face reddening as he typed.

You: it was... really fucking hot, wow

You: and i feel like the whole knee thing was on purpose -_-

Steven (❤ ?): What knee thing? 

You: you... your knee was between my legs, and...

Steven (❤ ?): ...And?

Anthony felt like he was going to die just typing what he needed to say.

You: it kinda pushed up against my dick

Steven (❤ ?): Oh.

Steven (❤ ?): Yeah, that was on purpose.

You: oh my god

Steven (❤ ?): It was worth it.

You: WHY OHMYGOD

Steven (❤ ?): Did you even hear the noise you made? That was pretty sexual if you ask me.

You: you're... gay?

Steven (❤ ?): Are you actually asking me that question?

You: ...yes???

Steven (❤ ?): I was on top of you, pinning you to the ground, kissed you for a solid ten seconds, then purposefully made you whine, and you're asking me if I'm gay?

You: ...yessssss????

Steven (❤ ?): What do you fucking think?

You: your.... gay??????????

Steven (❤ ?): *you're

Steven (❤ ?): And yes.

* * *

Tom O'Grady's face was neutral, blank, but his hands were shaky, revealing the true extent of his anger. In one of his twitching hands, his phone was grasped a  _bit too tightly_ , the browser opened up to Facebook. There was a picture there of a kid, almost shorter than the one next to him, on a bus. His messy black hair framed his face and his big, dumb, happy-dog-esque smile. The boy sitting next to him had much shorter cut black hair, and his mocha eyes didn't meet the camera. Instead, they were averted, his face dusting with a barely noticeable but telling blush. The pale, older boy's large, sparkling eyes held no shame, so it was most likely the other that had hurriedly cropped out their touching hands, giving the mistaken illusion that the photo was taken horizontally. However, Tom had checked the dimensions and the width to length ratio didn't make the cut, concerning him. As did the angle of their touching arms and their overall body posture. He briefly toyed with the idea that he was acting strangely, but brushed it away with a nervous laugh. More of a cough, really.

* * *

Adam Montoya shifted, sitting up in  _a_ bed- not his own- to read a text message he had just received. The figure next to him moved, groaning softly at the sudden light of the phone.

"Adam-"

"Shush, it's important," Adam retorted, quickly responding.

You: Have you two engaged in the 'sexual intercourses' as of yet?

ChiChi: NO WE JUST KISSED OHMYGOD X.X

You: Calm yourself, small Italian. I kid.

ChiChi: whateverrr your just saying that because you and mr mexican did it like......... five seconds after you started dating -_-

You: Accusations, accusations! I am very innocent, I'll have you know. In any case, you need to own up to the fact that you want to do the frickle frack with a Canadian.

ChiChi: yeah.... okay... BUT I DONT......... ok maybe but SHUSH ADAMM, DONT SPEAK

You: Aw, Chilled, when have I ever not kept your little secrets? 

ChiChi: LIKE.... ALWAYS YOU CONNIVING FUCK 

You: Baby, I'm a changed man! I swear it'll be different this time!

ChiChi: ugh fine but you better fuckin shut your goddamn lips about it or ill e n d you

You: And HOW do you plan on doing that? Entertain me.

ChiChi: well..... i could poison your food???

You: If I get poisoned, you know 'Mr. Mexican' will end whoever did it.

ChiChi: fuckkkkk your right

ChiChi: btw tell maximus I said hi

You: Will do, my good sir. Now go to sleep before I poison YOU.

ChiChi: o.o ok

Adam poorly stifled a giggle before turning to the figure next to him, shutting his phone off and lazily setting it on the bedside table with a flexible arm.

"Mm, Anthony said hello, Maxymax." Max laughed, a deep, sarcastic laugh.

"Fantastic."

* * *

"Why do they always start school on a Thursday instead of, say, a Monday? Wouldn't that make more sense," Anthony wondered out loud, walking to school with Steven.

"I think it might have something to do with the scheduling or end dates? I don't really know, I'm not an, uh, expert on school year planning."

"But you  _are_ an expert at invading my personal space," Anthony mused, smiling quirkily down at Steven.

"Oh... Sorry about that. I guess I don't notice it. I don't like it when  _other_ people invade  _my_ personal space, but-"

"No, no, I... Kinda, uhm... Like it... Like...  _a lot..._ " Steven paused, raising an eyebrow as their movement towards the school halted.

" _Oh?"_ Anthony flushed slightly and went to continue walking, his previous confidence dissolving underneath Steven's heated stare.

"Wait, Anth," Steven breathed, his left hand wrapping around the other's thin right wrist. Anthony turned then, his left hand splayed over his face in a last ditch attempt to hide his blush, and looked at Steven, his own dark eyes almost wincing at the green orbs that pierced through him with an intense look, so unlike his normal gaze. As quickly as it appeared, it passed, and Anthony let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. As soon as he felt calm, Steven once again disrupted it as he abandoned Anthony's wrist and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling it down and smashing their lips together in a messy kiss. It was at the wrong angle, and Steven tasted blood on Anthony's lips, but neither of them cared, they just stayed there- brave enough to continue but too scared to take it further- until they had to separate for air. They looked at each other as they both awkwardly panted, before Anthony licked his own lips. It wasn't a sexy,  _'I'm DTF'_ kind of lick, it was more of a  _'Holy shit dude, we kissed so hard that my lip is bleeding'_ lick. Steven shook his head, suddenly so composed, hands on his hips. 

"That wouldn't have happened if you weren't wearing away the skin on your lips. That's what biti-!!" It was Steven's turn to be surprised as Anthony leaned forward, not aggressively making out with him, just blessing his forehead with a soft kiss, grinning as he pulled away.

"Steven, for the love of god, shut the fuck up. You worry too much." Steven opened his mouth prior to closing it abruptly multiple times, finally settling on an embarrassed huff. They broke away, hands slipping apart, but, as they continued to school, their shoulders kept bumping together as a result of them standing too close to one another. Neither of them cared the least bit.

* * *

As he sat down at his usual lunch table, John came to the conclusion that he was quite possibly the dumbest human being on the planet. Across from him sat several seniors that he didn't know. He hadn't noticed them until he sat down.

"Oh, uhm... Hello!" He tried to sound cheerful, but the silence around the table was deafening, so starkly strange against a background of white noise. His words got caught in his throat. The seniors ignored him for the most part, and John wasn't sure if it would be worse if they were mean, or if them not talking at all was the worst. He tapped his fingers against his legs, suddenly not very hungry. He wanted to speak, but his whole body felt like he was under water, pressure strangling his body. Finally, John raised a shaky hand and asked a teacher if he could use the restroom. When rewarded with a sharp nod, he dashed off to the sanctuary of stalls to relieve his anxiety. Entering and locking a stall, he sat on the toilet, the lid closed, and pulled his legs close to his chest, burying his face in between his knees and his body, curled up. He sat there and softly counted to ten. He had always used that tactic whenever his anxiety flared up. Sometimes, however, he didn't stop at ten. 

On this particular occasion, he counted up to about 2400.

* * *

The younger Anthony, sitting in the middle row of his English studies class on the far left side of the spacious classroom, was becoming increasingly irritated at the kid behind him that was incessantly clicking his pen, just loud enough for him to hear. After three more minutes of random clicks, Anthony turned in his seat, facing the annoyance. He was met with a boy, evidently short, who's unruly hair was falling in his eyes as he thought about what to write. It was nowhere near as messy and distracting as John's, but it was still a visible inconvenience.

Anthony sighed. He knew that the poor kid was having difficulty with the assignment- most people didn't enjoy writing several paragraphs about each chapter of  _The Catcher In The Rye_ \- but Anthony figured that he still shouldn't be a detriment to those around him without consequences.

"Hey," Anthony hissed, quiet, nearly under his breath. The otherwise aloof boy looked him in the eyes then, opting to switch to absentmindedly chewing on the end of his pen rather than clicking it.

"Yesh?" Anthony cringed at the other's slurred words, the pen obstructing his clear speaking abilities.

"Could you please stop clicking your pen? I can't focus when you do that." The boy distanced the pen from his mouth then, Anthony feeling sick as he saw a faint string of saliva.

"Sorry! It's a nervous tick. My name is Steven, by the way," he responded, Anthony flinching at his name and raised volume.

"I don't really care, just please stop. Thank you." 

"No problem!" They both went back to their papers, Anthony in particular feeling a bit shaken.

* * *

The older Anthony waited through all his classes, only speaking to Steven a good amount at lunch, saving his question for after school. The other Anthony was nowhere to be seen, along with John, their bus already gone, but Steven was waiting there on the sidewalk, a patient smile on his face.

"S-Sorry for taking so long. I had to finish up a question in Bio," he explained, breath heavy. Steven just nodded and they began walking.

They walked in silence for several minutes until it was broken by Anthony stopping in his tracks and stuttering out his question.

"U-Uhm, would you like to- I mean, can you, Well, you don't have to if you don't want to, I suppose... But, um, would you like to come over to my house tomorrow?" Steven smiled at Anthony's flustered demeanor, laughing. Anthony almost fainted, because his laugh was  _pure_ and could most likely be used to  _cure cancer._  

"Yes. I'd love to. My parents are extra busy over the weekends, though. My dad's a party planner and my mom is a party photographer- I know, made for each other- so would it be alright if I stayed the night? And, um... Sunday night too?"

* * *

John frowned at his bowl of ramen noodles. Anthony, sitting across from him, quirked his head. 

"Are you alright?" John silently nodded. Most of their dinners were like this, as their mother usually worked late. She worked the nine to five as a telemarketer every weekday, but every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 6:30 PM to 3 AM, she worked several cleaning and restocking shifts, due to the small amount of employees, for a nearby restaurant that closed at 6. As such, Friday was ramen noodle night.

"Uh, if it makes you feel any better, my new friend is coming over this weekend."

"Steven?" Anthony flinched, his spoon stopping at his mouth.

"...Did you steal my phone again?"

"Maybe."

"Goddammit, John," Anthony sighed quite loudly. John smiled sheepishly, ducking his head.

"Sorry, I just want to be in the loop, know about your life!"

"You sound like a fuckin' soccer mom!"

"Maybe I was, in a past life. You don't know me." Anthony rolled his eyes then, before setting his spoon down, too caught up in talking to eat.

"Oh, and his friend might be coming over too." John's eyes lit up, to Anthony's amusement.

"His name is Anthony too, he's pretty serious." 

"Steven and this other Anthony are... just friends, correct?"

"Oh yeah, trust me. Anthony isn't super interested in anything."

"Like... is he straight?"

"Dunno, he just... He  _might_ be gay, but he's too young for you! And his name is Anthony... That would be weird for everyone." John snorted.

"So, when are they coming over?"

"They're coming tomorrow morning, then staying until Monday morning." 

"Staying...  _two_ _nights?_ _"_

"John," Anthony interjected. "Shut the fuck up." John winked suggestively, grinning. Anthony just rolled his eyes again, getting up, heading upstairs with one final comment. 

"You're on dishes tonight!"

"Seriously!?"

* * *

Tom hummed a song to himself, softly smiling as he adjusted a picture in the sectioned off corner of his room. Stepping back, he looked at his handiwork and grinned, proud he had finally re-purposed that old two feet tall bookshelf. Sighing, satisfied, he ran his hand through his hair, turning around to go to sleep. Before he laid down, he pulled his phone out of his back jeans pocket, checking Facebook again, as he did every day before he went to sleep. There, he went to a certain person's page and saw a post he was tagged in.

[Anthony Aprigliano](https://www.youtube.com/user/CriousGamers): Gaming night tomorrow?  _With_ _[Steven](https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeMachinima), [John](https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsmarty), and [Anthony](https://www.youtube.com/user/GaLmHD)_

Tom's lips pursed as he set his phone on his bedside desk, finally getting into his sheets, breathing shallow.

* * *

 Steven stared out the window. He knew that, just a block or two away, Anthony was there, waiting. His green eyes were focused not on the street, however, but on the sky. A galaxy seemed to be reflected in his pupils, an infinite number of stars held in such a small space. They fell on one of the brightest stars that he recognized as Deneb, part of the Cygnus constellation. He felt lonely then, just a speck in an infinitely expanding amount of matter and space. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, not too ready to have an existential crisis just yet. He walked away from it and sat on the edge of his bed, frowning at his floor. After a few minutes, he laid down properly, not even getting under his sheets, just staring at his ceiling somewhat wistfully. 

* * *

John's eyes fluttered open slowly, the harsh light of the sun creeping through his moderately parted window blinds. The window, located directly overlooking his bed, was a common annoyance, but he didn't mind. As his brain woke up, he was much more focused on the idea of meeting his brother's new friends than on the minute predicament of the sun being in his eyes for a few split seconds. By his logic, since he considered his brother his friend, his brother's friends were also  _his_ friends, so, really, he was focused on the idea of meeting  _his_ friends. Slipping out of the covers, he changed his outfit quickly, throwing on a gray tee with a Triforce design on it and black sweat shorts. He skipped over to his door and opened it, going out into the small upstairs area in between his and Anthony's room with wild eyes. It felt almost like Christmas, for some weird reason, as John knocked on Anthony's bedroom door.

"C'mon, wake up!" John waited at Anthony's door for him to appear before jumping, whisper screaming, as Anthony came up behind him and tapped on his shoulder.

"Careful, John! Don't wake up mom!" John blushed as he turned around, eyes averted.

"S-Sorry... I thought you were still asleep." Anthony's eyes sparkled with joy, a smile curving at his lips.

"Mhm! Steven texted me and said that he and Anthony are gunna be here soon, so don't embarrass me, you ass."

"I couldn't embarrass you if I tried," John retorted, an exasperated look on his face. His brother just grinned.

"You just being my brother embarrasses me enough, John, don't worry." John rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, you piece of shit." Anthony snorted before continuing his dialogue.

"And they might be bringing their laptops, soo... We could play GMod and stuff. S'That cool?" John nodded absentmindedly before strolling to the stairs, heading down. Anthony followed, his outfit strategically planned out. He knew he and Steven shared a favorite color, that color being red, so he had worn a red, black, and white plaid shirt with black jeans, hoping to look relatively more attractive. John, on the other hand, didn't care that much about appearances. He was more the kind of person that dated based on how good at puns you were. 

As they reached the ground floor of their home, Anthony ran into the kitchen while John settled into the living room couch. There was one couch, big and comfy, that was positioned in front of a TV surrounded by various open game cases, wires, and controllers. The TV, large, logically speaking, but nothing  _too_ impressive, was on top of a dresser-like TV stand that had many compartments for movies, game consoles, and whatever else you needed to store with your TV. The living room itself, outside of the TV area, was mostly just beige carpet and the lime green/pastel yellow coloring of the kitchen adorning the walls in a vertically striped pattern. Their mother, true to them, was eccentric, and the house decor definitely expressed that. The living room was attached to the front door and two hallways, one leading to the stairs to the upper floor, containing the brothers' rooms and their shared bathroom, and the other was to their mother's room and her bathroom. The living room and kitchen were right next to each other, but were all opened up like a flat, spacious and breathable. The kitchen shared the previously mentioned color theme, but the flooring switched at the invisible line separating the two rooms from the cream colored carpet to white and black diner-esque tile. 

Anthony busied himself in the kitchen, gathering up a bag of regular potato chips, an unpopped bag of microwave popcorn, a liter of Mountain Dew, and a frozen pizza on standby in the scenario that anyone became  _advanced_ hungry. Setting all food, sans the pizza, on the floor by the TV stand, Anthony proceeded to shoot a glare at John. John was lounging, not lifting a finger to help Anthony with guest prep. 

"Do you need anything,  _o great and mighty princess?_ Any thing at all?" John replied with a scathing look, then rolling his eyes. Anthony sighed, his head dizzy with tired thoughts. He had stayed up late the previous night, thinking and planning for the weekend, unsure of what lay in store. Before he could put in any more thought into perhaps looking into making coffee, there was a light,  _tentative?_ , knock at the door. Anthony practically leaped over to the door, opening it with a bit too much gusto, the two wide eyed ninth graders behind the door taking steps back. Anthony felt a bit dumb then, blushing and looking away, allowing them inside. He shut the door behind his guests, and the younger Anthony froze as he locked eyes with John, who, at that moment, was about to have a heart attack on the couch. The older Anthony and Steven looked at each other, the other two, then back at each other, and mentally agreed on a decision.

"Um, I'll just... Show Steven around... You guys can... work out your medical issues," Anthony stuttered, starting to inch towards the stairs. Steven, shaking his head, grabbed Anthony's hand and more-or-less dragged him up to the second floor. Anthony's hand felt like it had been shocked, a strange electricity shooting through his spine as he lost all control, mindlessly letting Steven lead him by the hand. As they stopped at his bedroom door, Steven finally let go, Anthony's consciousness returning.

"A-Ahah, um... This is my room. John's is over there," Anthony explained, pointing to John's door, proudly covered in bumper stickers and a tacky 'Genius With A Capital J' sign, colored and lettered with bright gold and black. Steven nodded slowly, eyes never leaving Anthony's plain door. Anthony turned back to Steven in time to see Steven's hand turning the doorknob. Anthony felt a nervous lump in his throat, but said nothing, eyes wide and strained at Steven slowly entered his room. He couldn't help but notice Steven's outfit as he stepped into the moderate light of Anthony's room. The lights were off, but the window blinds were open, the sun giving an ethereal sort of glow to Steven's curly brown locks. He was dressed in black leggings, an odd choice for a boy, but Anthony wasn't one to judge, and a baggy sweatshirt covered in a wrapping image of thousands of stars and nebulae. Before he could even fully process the other's outfit, he was already making comments.

"I see you, ah... Like my outfit, Anthony?" The person in question nodded, looking away then, feeling as if he was unable to speak. Steven smiled, an expression that lit up his entire face, giving him a wonderful vibe, and he stepped forwards, closer to Anthony.

"So, this is your room." Anthony somehow was able to look back and maintain eye contact with Steven as he sheepishly nodded, his face still a bit flushed.

"Mmm... I like it. Can I sleep in here tonight?" Anthony's mouth opened, but no words came out, the only other reaction being the further reddening of his face. Steven raised an eyebrow as Anthony finally managed to choke out a few words.

"S-Sleep in here? With... W-With me?" Steven laughed cheerily then, Anthony feeling as if the mere sound of his laughter melted his heart yet held it together all at the same time.

"Well, yes, but not... I mean... Sleep _with_ you, not...  _sleep with you_ , if that makes sense." Anthony nodded, suddenly very suspicious of Steven's intentions.

* * *

As Steven and Anthony made their way back down the stairs, the latter's hand loosely covering his face, a light blush dusting his face. Steven saw this and grinned, sticking a tongue out. When the living room came into view, Anthony's eyes widened at the sight of John and a certain ninth grader... playing Mario Kart. Steven chuckled to himself as he heard the boy standing next to him let out a relieved sigh.  The two newcomers made their way over to the couch, sitting down awkwardly next to the other two. They watched for a bit before grabbing two more controllers for the next race.

"So, do you think you can beat the guy who got second place?" The younger Anthony squinted.

"John... I lapped you three times during  _one_ race." There was an awkward silence as the older Anthony had to shove his hand into his mouth to stop from laughing. Steven found himself grimacing. 

"This couch is uncomfortable with so many people." The younger Anthony grinned, taking the hint, and pushed John off of the couch, the older letting out a yelp. John huffed but stayed leaning against the couch, sitting cross legged. 

"Should we call each other by our usernames? I think that- I think that would be kinda, um, easier than confusing Anthony and Anthony." John snorted from the floor.

"I mean, sure, why not?" The younger Anthony glared at John, who was also slightly leaning against his legs.

"Shut the fuck up, John." The older Anthony bit his lip to hold back a giggle, turning to Steven to respond. As he turned, he noticed two green eyes burning into him, disapproval shining within them. Anthony quirked his head before realizing and letting his lip free.

"Sorry, I didn't want to laugh," he hissed under his breath, wincing as the other Anthony responded.

"I heard that!" The older rolled his eyes before finally finishing his statement.

"Anyways, uh, yeah, sure." 

"So it's settled, then," Steven remarked, the younger Anthony shooting back with a 'Finally!'

"Alright... I'm TehSmar-"

"I'm GaLm, and you all are ZeRoyalViking, ...'ChilledChaos', and... what's your's, John?" John shot Galm what he hoped was a withering glare, Galm simply smiling with a sickly sweet manor in response.

"TehSmarticu-"

"You can just call him Smarty," Chilled interrupted.

"My full username is  _technically_ GalmHD, but Ze just calls me Galm, and I call him, well, Ze, obviously." 

"Okay, Okay, so, I'm Ze, and you guys are Galm, Smarty, and...?"

"Chilled is the shortened version, I guess. That's what John-"

"Smarty," Galm interrupted.

"That's what  _Smarty_ calls me, anyways."

"Good, good," Galm said, beginning to set up the new race. "So, should we do 150cc-"

"Make it 200," Ze interrupted in a higher-pitched voice than his usual, eyes wild.

"No, shutthefuckup, that's too fast, Ze," Galm interrupt-interrupted, Chilled suddenly feeling mighty uncomfortable to be sitting in between the two aggressive ninth graders.

* * *

It was the fourth race. They had decided on teams, with Nintendo putting Ze and Chilled on one team, and a  _very displeased Galm_ on a team with Smarty. Galm had usually come in second, beating Ze in that regard, but Ze kept making sacrifices, holding him back from stealing first place from his teammate. First place was the most valuable, point wise, and a first-placer on a team with a fourth-placer could still beat the second and third-placers. However, Ze had managed to secure third place three times, Galm holding up second, and Smarty in the back. The last race, as decided by Chilled's pick, was Moo Moo Meadows, much to the distaste of literally everyone else. It was lap three out of three, and Ze was now holding second, three red shells and an accidental friendly-fire boombox securing third and fourth for Galm and Smarty. Ze and Chilled were long finished, Smarty having, out of spite, hit Galm with several weapons, Galm returning the favor. They were rounding the next-to-last turn, Chilled and Ze frantically calling out Smarty's name. Chilled's mind shifted for a split second, and he came to a shocking realization.

"Smarty's not gunna get the quadfecta, dear god!" Ze laughed quite loudly, to Galm's chagrin. As they reached the boost ramp, Smarty's kart bumped into Galm's, and Smarty went up the ramp. Galm didn't. In that moment, somehow, Smarty pulled ahead, and finished third, leaving a defeated and frustrated Galm staring at the beige carpet with enough fire to power the entire country of China for three years. Smarty groaned, walking off, as Chilled opened his mouth to speak, heading up the stairs. Chilled closed his mouth then, shrugging, before Ze turned to his friend.

"You gunna sleep down here, Galm?"

"I suppose. Where are you gunna be?"

"Um... That's... Complicated," Ze tried. Chilled laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he responded.

"He'll be... In, um... My room. I don't- remember why...?" Galm raised an eyebrow, a smirk flowing to his lips.

"I see... Just don't keep me awake," he chuckled. Ze and Chilled both turned equally red, Ze waving his hands frantically.

"N-No, it isn't like that!" Chilled, in an attempt to relax himself, played along.

"I dunno, Stevie! That depends on how well things go." Ze blushed furiously, Galm laughing.

"Alright, go upstairs, motherfuckers. I'm going to sleep." Ze sighed with conviction and grabbed Chilled's plaid-clad wrist, half-pulling him up the stairs.

* * *

When they reached the top, Anthony tried to pull his hand away, but Steven's grip merely tightened, the latter turning to face the other.

 "We need to talk... Like, now." Anthony's cheerful grin faltered, his heart dropping.

"What... About?" Steven stared into Anthony's huge, wide eyes for what seemed like years, searching and scanning for answers in every line of his iris for some kind of sign. Anthony's confidence wavered and his teeth fell into old habits, punishing his lip to the point of nearly breaking the skin. Steven's emerald orbs sharpened.

"What... What are we, Anthony?" Anthony's chest contracted as if Steven had knocked all of the air out of him, and he struggled to talk. Opening his mouth, he finally stuttered out a response.

"I-I... What d-do you want us to be? I-I-We haven't known each other for that long, but... I suppose, _theoretically_ , if you wanted to- _and this is simply theoretical_ \- W-We could da-" Before he could finish his sentence, Steven, looking on the verge of tears, leaned his head against Anthony's chest, letting out a long sigh. Anthony, not having much experience when it came to comforting others, awkwardly patted Steven's back with clumsy arms prior to settling into a warm hug. After a few quiet moments, Steven pulled away, grinning mischievously.

"What," Anthony asked exasperatedly, eyes filled to the brim with humor, mirroring Steven's.

"You can be so idiotically romantic sometimes, you know that?" Anthony blushed furiously as Steven intertwined his right hand with the former's left, the younger of the two opting to open the door with his dominant hand.

"Oh, and, by the way, sure."

"Sure what?" Anthony tilted his head as Steven led him to their- _his own bed that he wouldn't be sharing with anyone on a regular basis,_ the both of them sitting down precariously on the edge, facing each other.

"Sure as in 'Sure, we can date.' That kind of sure." Anthony's pulse leapt, and, out of mostly the raw emotion, he leaned forwards, his arms falling loosely over Steven's shoulders as their lips and bodies collided, Steven's hands somehow finding their way to Anthony's hips, sending a shiver up the older's spine. To Anthony, the other's hands felt perfect, as if they were made to fit his hips. When they took a break to breathe, Anthony felt stupid, awkward and out of place. He always assumed these moments would be sexy, but he simply felt weird, just panting and staring into the other's eyes. Steven smoothed thing over, however, moving back to lean against Anthony's pillows, pulling the blushing individual in question up onto his hips. They stayed like that for a while, trying to act sexy, but they began laughing at the exact same time, Anthony moving off of Steven. They laid side by side for a few minutes before Anthony broke the silence.

"I feel like I've known you forever. It feels dumb, being this... Physical this soon, but... It just makes me happy."

"Mmh," Steven responded, breathing deeply.

"Still, no sex until marriage!" Steven turned on his side to look at Anthony with surprise, Anthony lying on his side just the same as he giggled.

"Kidding, kidding! Just not... Any time soon. I mean... I really, really like you, and I feel like I've known you for so long, it's just... I need time." Steven nodded, snaking his arms around Anthony to hold him a bit closer, the latter following his lead as they both slowly drifted off in each other's embrace.

* * *

The younger Anthony was startled, waking up, as a certain nervous and horribly gay teenager tugged on his sleeve. Two pairs of cocoa eyes met, one on the verge of tears, and Anthony sighed.

"Again, John? It's... It's late." Anthony slowly sat up on the large couch, his posture defaulting to what Steven liked to call 'deflated crisscross'. John sheepishly nodded, crawling up to sit on the couch next to the other.

"Okay," Anthony sighed, resigned. "It's okay." He pulled the shaking form close to his chest in a tight embrace, trying his damnedest to ignore his own anxietal urges, one of them being to lock himself in the bathroom, far away from any pesky humans. After sitting like such for an incalculable amount of time, John broke the silence with a quivering voice.

"A-Anthony?"

"...Yes, John?" Anthony found himself worrying his lip, heart pounding.

"Do you care about me?" Anthony's mind raced, eyes flashing as he whispered a response to avoid letting out the choked surprise and discomfort building in his throat.

"Sure... Yes, John." John's eyes fell as he pressed closer into Anthony's apprehensive hold. Anthony leaned his head back into the couch, feeling paralyzed from the neck down, brow furrowing.

"Why do you never show me," John queried, wide eyes looking up into pained ones as Anthony looked back down, the older biting his lip.

"I... I'm sorry," Anthony muttered, painfully aware of where he was being led.

* * *

Steven's thick eyelashes bowed upwards, his eyelids pulled with them, emerald orbs reflecting in the sunlight, the light pushing through the window and glittering down onto the eyes giving the illusion of refraction. His face warmed with a smile, his arms still holding the somewhat curled Anthony close to his chest, his hands rested on the other's hips. The older of the two breathed slowly, arms bent and held between his own chest and Steven's, the right side of his head resting against the bottom edge of the shared pillow while his forehead pressed to just below Steven's collarbone. Steven relished the moment, Anthony's form so pure, cleansed of his usual anxious fidgeting that he shared with his brother. His mind wandered then, eyes darkening as he thought of possible causes. However, Anthony broke him from his unsavory thoughts as he stirred, shadowed oak eyes fluttering open, painfully pulling at Steven's heartstrings.

"You're so... Dreamy," Anthony mumbled, still partly asleep. Steven chuckled, shaking his head bemusedly before gracing his forehead with a gentle kiss. Anthony shifted, face blushing then, and moved to get out of bed. Steven whined, face falling.

"Why are you leaving me?" Anthony tumbled onto the floor, getting up, head spinning slightly.

"I'm... I'm gunna make us breakfast, okay?"

"No, not okay," Steven sighed, lip pouted. "I wanna... Want you to stay." Anthony bit the inside of his cheek, contemplating, before deciding it'd be fun.

"When I come back up, you'll get to see my pink an' white apron!" Steven blushed, offering a lopsided grin.

"Fine... But only for the apron." Anthony laughed, a bright, cheery sound, and Steven felt that in moments like those, Anthony had gained some respite from whatever it was that found Anthony curling up and clinging to him. Perhaps, he considered, there was nothing at all, and it was merely his particular way of showing affection. Lost in his thoughts, he was found at a loss sad to see Anthony had taken leave, nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Anthony found himself on the ground floor, his eyes, ever blurry, remained a sight detriment to him prior to his hand, warm from being close to Steven, rubbed the nighttime away, brown orbs reclaiming their vision. As such, they caught on the living room couch, leading him to round around to the front of the offending object apprehensively. Having reached his destination, he was presented with a picture that was  _quite certainly_ worth at least one thousand words.

Anthony wasn't stupid. He had seen the Facebook post, noticed the bus, veritably  _fucking cataloged_ his brother's nervous look of tension,  _notably **not** surprise_ , in reaction to the younger Anthony's arrival. He was aware of all of the snippets of conversation and otherwise easily missed details. And yet, having faith in the honesty of his brother, he had chalked them all up as coincidence.

If all of that was just the icing on the cake, then Anthony figured that the tactless scene that lay before him was the entire fucking bakery.

John was simply laying in the couch, stretched out across the entire set of cushions, but he was only wearing boxers, and the younger Anthony's shirt from the previous day. The older found himself aghast, before his heart leapt as his name was spoken sharply, dripping with accusation.

* * *

Steven's hair was a complete trash mammal as he sat up in Anthony's bed. Despite still wearing a cozy outfit, his skin felt chilled, nose reddening even further than it's usual Rudolph complexion. He wrapped Anthony's sheets around himself. Eyes closed as he leaned back then, draped in white and red. His mind was frozen, stuck on the prospect of being in a relationship. There were sure to be repercussions, additional variables in his life to be taken into consideration, along with the simple fact that he and Anthony had started dating after crushing on each other for a few  _years,_ then interacting for around three days. Brown curls shook gently with his head as he smiled, chuckling to himself.

* * *

Anthony jumped, consequentially biting his tongue, as he turned, met with an exasperated and irritated looking  _younger_ Anthony.

"Hello? Anybody home? I asked you a question." The older flushed, still shaken up.

"I-I... What? I don't... I didn't hear you," he offered lamely. The younger glared, muttering something under his breath.

"I said, why are you yelling at John? You're going to wake the entire house up, if you haven't already." Anthony blinked, dumbfounded.

"I was... Yelling at John? I didn't..." He slowly turned around to the couch to see his older brother wide eyed and hugging his legs, no longer sprawled out in a relaxed manor. Anthony opened his mouth to speak, but no words could be said to explain what he was attempting to say. Shaking his head, he changed his course to the kitchen, planning to make a nice, domestic breakfast for himself and Steven, who was waiting patiently upstairs.

 The younger Anthony looked bitterly at John, lips pursed.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't fucking..."

"I-I'm sorry that I get like this, but I didn't mind that he yelled at me, really, Anthony. I promise." John gave him a reassuring smile in an attempt to smooth things over, but the younger let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, I-... I  _want_ you to mind, you don't... Don't... Fuck's sake, John..." John's smile wavered, eyes dulling. Anthony, the one in the other room, was awkwardly staring down at the bacon sizzling and popping softly in the tense air.

"Why? What do you even want, Anthony," John asked, voice cracking, strained.

"I want... I just... John. I... I really like you, I do, trust me. It's just that our personalities... They don't really..."

"So, what, you never had a crush on me? You were lying when you said you did?" John's face was reddening with pitiful shame and hurt. Anthony sighed exasperatedly, not looking John in the eyes.

"No, I... There was definitely a point in time where I felt  _something,_ but I can't... Deal with people all the time. I can't deal with... For lack of a better word, 'clingy' people. I don't know what I want- hell, I don't even know if I want  _anything_ from  _anyone!_ I just... Need to figure all of this out." John sniffed, staring at Anthony's stress marked face with wide, innocent eyes.

"I-I can help y-"

"No," Anthony spoke with force. "This is something I need to figure out by myself. I tried to be lenient, but you took advantage of that. I'm..." He grimaced, forcing out words.

"I'm sorry you feel like this, but I need time to think, space to breathe." John's face was tear stained by then, and, wiping away the liquid, staining his- well, Anthony's sleeve, he spoke, voice shaky.

* * *

Steven stretched out on the bed, extending his limbs, before retracting back with a yawn. He had been cold, but the room had quickly heated up with the morning glow. Feeling slightly sweaty, he pulled his shirt off, pushing his hair out of his eyes with his left hand. He threw the balled up shirt across the room with boredom.

* * *

"I-" He broke off as a loud creaking noise echoed through the room, the source being the older Anthony, standing on the stairs with two plates stacked on top of one another, and two glasses of orange juice precariously balanced on top of  _that._ He flashed a sheepish smile and continued up the stairs silently.

"We'll talk about this later," Anthony stated, breaking the silence. 

"N-No, I want to talk about this n-"

"We'll talk. About this.  _Later._ " John shivered, feeling an odd emptiness as Anthony approached the front door and opened it swiftly, heading outside to sit on the small, suburban lawn.

* * *

Steven's face lit up as the bedroom door opened, Anthony's eyes wide with stress and surprise as he quickly moved his right hand from the doorknob to the side of the plate stack.

"What do you have there?" Anthony snorted as he carefully made his way over to the bed.

"A 'balanced' breakfast, Mister Shirtless." Steven rolled his eyes, facing away with pursed lips. 

"Well, you forgot the apron," he mused, turning back to look Anthony up and down. Face flushing, Anthony set the plates down on the bed, and the glasses on the bedside table. 

"Sorry about that, stuff kinda... went down." Steven raised an eyebrow, blinking slowly.

"Oh really?" 

"I'd rather... not talk about it... I really shouldn't even know," he confessed, sitting across from Steven on the opposite side of the bed, Steven being at the pillows, and Anthony being at the end. Their plates, positioned between them, seemed oddly  _in_ place.

"I see." Steven looked down at his plate, quietly chuckling.

"No forks?" Anthony cursed under his breath, biting his lip.

"No forks. And, you know, I'm a vegetarian. Can't really, uh, eat this," he continued, staring pointedly at the other's bruised lips.

"S-Sorry... I-"

"Listen, let me just..." Steven paused, grabbing both of their plates and setting them down on the floor.

"Okay. Now, since you know I'm a vegetarian, why don't you tell me something about **your** self? We should get to know each other more!" Anthony nodded and scooted closer to the other, teeth still sheepishly worrying his lip before he spoke.

"Well, I-I... Popcorn is probably my favorite food." 

"Okay, okay, well... My mother is a native born Canadian, so I have duel citizenship," Steven shot back, emerald eyes glittering with excitement. 

"My... My dad isn't allowed to live with us," Anthony whispered, and Steven's expression slipped.

"Oh my god, are you... I... I'm so sorry... You didn't have to tell me that, you know," Steven voiced, a strained expression on his face.

"No, I..." Anthony moved closer, both of being in a cross legged position, until their foreheads brushed together. "I wanted you to know." Steven shook his head, his hands finding Anthony's and squeezing them tightly, voice feeling as if it had left him. Finally, he spoke, voice shaky. 

"You know I care about you, right?" Anthony laughed softly, eyes closing.

"Is that your secret?" 

"Maybe," Steven breathed, letting go of Anthony's hands to trail them to his waist, fitting there _nicely_ , in his opinion.

"Well, then... I-I..." Steven smirked, a laugh on the tip of his tongue. 

"You're blushing so hard, christ. And you can't cheep out, man.  _Real_ secrets." Anthony bit his lip,  _hard,_ breaths quickening as his right hand pressed against Steven's chest, hazel eyes opening slowly as he spoke.

"S-Sometimes, I bite my lip on p-purpose because..." 

"Yes?" Steven's tone rushed more blood to his face, and he stuttered out the rest of the sentence. 

"B-Because I... I... f-fuck... I want you to... D-Do something, I dunno..." Steven let out a short breath, shaking his head again as he pulled Anthony up onto his lap, the latter instinctively moving his legs to rest on either side of Steven's.

_"Is that 'something' enough for you, Anth?"_ Anthony let out an ashamed moan, burying his face in Steven's left shoulder.

"St-Ste-  _fuck,_ just...  _Yes, it is._ " Steven moved his dominant hand up to run through Anthony's hair, his right leaving the other's hip to wrap around his full waist.

"Mm... We'll stay here like this. We don't need to go further unless you want to," he whispered, fingers passing comfortingly through café noir strands of hair. Anthony nodded into his shoulder, still too breathless to speak.

"We keep finding ourselves like this. Weird." Anthony finally looked up and kissed Steven quickly, too quickly, the hand in his hair tightening with surprise. Anthony made a strange noise, and pulled away, eyes wide.

"You..."

"Yeah... Sorry," Steven offered, massaging the spot that had been hurt. Anthony exhaled heavily, heart pounding in his chest.

"No, do... do that again..." Steven raised an eyebrow, head tilted ever so slightly.

"Excuse me?" The color rushed back to Anthony's face, and he hid it behind his hands, embarrassed.

"N-Never mind, just forget I said anything..." The gears in the younger's head clicked, and he came to a realization.

"Oh, oh... Did that... turn you on or something?" Anthony let out a groan, face still covered.

"Please stop talking, oh my god," he sighed, leg muscles tensed. With that, Steven contemplated the hair caught on his fingers and pulled, lightly at first, experimentally. Anthony's hands fell to the bed sheets, gripping them tightly, staring up at Steven with a terribly scarlet face. Satisfied, he tugged again, much harder this time. 

"Fuck, I- oh fuck, oh my god," Anthony stammered, sitting up fully then, taller than the other. Steven shot him a grin.

"Is this... Is this alright?" Anthony silently nodded, wrapping his legs around the other's waist. Steven hummed softly, the rough way that the hand pulled the hair in great contrast. Anthony's vision flashed with white for a split second, the pain eliciting a broken whine from his slightly cracked lips. Steven's face colored at that, his entire body freezing as Anthony laid on his chest, panting, attempting to recollect himself. There was silence then, a void had relinquished the quiet, and it came crashing into Steven's eardrums like a symphony. Then, he focused on Anthony's breaths, those being his only anchor to the current world, to not floating backwards into his mind from the sheer force that the silence had hit him with. Anthony's legs slowly moved back, somewhat intertwined then with Steven's. His face was buried in the other's chest, hands releasing the sheets to lay flat on the previously mentioned's chest.

"Are... Are you, um... are you okay? Was- Was that too much," Steven asked, eyes cut with sudden strife and worry. Anthony curled up a small bit, shivering, appearing to look up at Steven, but he didn't see the younger. He was somewhere else, and his dazed vision and slow manor expressed that.

"Mm... I feel weird," Anthony mumbled, giggling lightly at the end of his sentence. Steven frowned, left hand absentmindedly running through the other's hair again, comfortingly.

"Like-... Like good weird or bad weird?" Anthony's right hand trailed up from the sheets to trace circles on Steven's bare skin. 

"Good, it's good." Steven exhaled slowly, the hand not tangled in the older's mess of hair beginning to slowly rub Anthony's back. Anthony looked directly into the younger's eyes with a pointed stare then, face still slightly flushed.

"I..."

"Yes?" 

"I love you..." Steven's muscles tightened, jaw clenching, as Anthony held his eyes, a naive smile gracing his face. The younger tore his gaze away, lips pursed.

"Mm. I see," he murmured, gaze cast aside. Anthony trembled then, brought careening back into reality, cocoa eyes bubbling with soapy tears. Steven sighed, holding the older closer still.

"Anthony, you-" He was cut off by the other's emotions, perforating his wall. He'd built it up apprehensively, waiting for the future, for things to hurt him, but here he was, holding someone so similar to him, yet so sensitive, so trusting. 

"Anthony." The teen in question sniffled, but stopped crying. Steven wiped his tears away with a shaky hand, brow furrowed. "Please don't be upset, it's just-"

"N-No, I... I know. I'm just... Sorry, I just cry really easily," Anthony offered, a bitter laugh on bruised lips. Steven brushed hair out of the older's face, a patient smile filling Anthony's lungs like water. 

"I care about you too,- a lot, actually- it's just that... Both of our lives are a long story, and it's easy to fall in love when you see someone as what they are, and don't notice all the little imperfections or problems just below their skin." He fell silent at that, and Steven went back to pressing stress out of Anthony's muscles with the hand laid on his back.

"Now, please, you should maybe rest, okay? I'll help you with all the plates and stuff after you're feeling okay." Anthony agreed with a silent nod, again allowing his body to relax against the younger's. 

* * *

John sat, knees pulled up to his body, phone cradled in his hands. His eyes, ever focused on the screen, were met with texts. He changed the number to a smiley face, face twisting at the unknown person's messages.

You: who is this?

☺: Oh! 

He waited for a few minutes before groaning, texting again.

You: okayyy...?

☺: You're John, right?

You: yeah? how do you know my name?

☺: Oh I go to school with you. I'm a senior.

You: oh.

☺: I noticed you were feeling down, don't worry I'm not bullshitting you, whats up?

 John wasn't entirely sure who it was, or how they had gotten his number, but he sighed when he saw the text, easily opening up to spill about his emotions.

You: just issues with relationships

You: they're a mess and im just kinda...eh

☺: Ohhh, I feel ya. 

You: yeah...

☺: I actually just got out of a relationship too, it was a fucking travesty. I mean... I guess, since you don't know who I am... I'm gay :P

John flinched, nearly dropping his phone. Taking deep breaths and counting to ten- no, twenty- no,  _thirty,_ he calmed himself down.

You: oh, i am too! but uh... yea...

☺: Really? Wow. I always thought the cute ones were _never_ gay, christ...

John felt a blush rise to his face, and his palms got clammy. He hadn't felt like that for a while, he noted wistfully. His phone beeped at him again, and he looked down, eyes widening.

☺: Do you wanna... meet up somewhere? Just to talk?

You: i dunno, you could be a pedophile, man

You: im not about that life

☺: Fine, I'll give you a note at school saying where to go after, just so you know I'm not. Deal?

John rolled his eyes, but continued texting.

You: okayyyy whatever

☺: So uh... talk to you later, I guess?

You: sure.

* * *

Adam fished through his bag for the frozen yogurt punch-card, frowning.

"Max, leave me alone for a second, I _'ate thirty-three'_ , now I _'get one free'!_ This is literally the greatest moment of my entire life!" Max's deep laugh was music to Adam's ears, sending a wider grin curling at his lips.

"That doesn't sound like a good deal, you're aware, right?"

"Well, aren't you being sassy," Adam shot back, eyes gleaming. Max shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"I'm simply saying that thirty four for the price of thirty three is-"

"IS STILL A DISCOUNT," Adam interrupted, pointing a finger accusingly at Max's chest. The car they were in halted, and Adam let out an uncontrolled giggle at the sight of the frozen yogurt place. 

"Oh my god, I love frozen yogurt. It's so weird to mention, but I have to."

"Are you going to get almonds or pistachios on it?" At that, Adam paused, thoughtful.

"...Maybe. I actually prefer them by themselves, but maybe. Probably. Okay yes, I will!" Max opened his door and got out, grin widening as he saw that Adam was waiting for him to open the other door as well. He did so, and, when Adam got out, trapped the shorter's hand in his.

"Really,  _princess?_ You need me to open the door for you?"

"It's only polite!"

* * *

 Steven felt dizzy as he woke up, vision blurred. He felt cold, the absence of Anthony's form leading his eyes to the ground, noticing the missing dishes. His expression quirked with a slight grin, but it fell from his face and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He hadn't planned on falling asleep, but he didn't mind terribly. Steven stared at Anthony's ceiling, sighing as his muscles begged him not to sit up, to simply stay in bed. He knew it wasn't his fault. He moved a bit to grab his shirt, before remembering it was across the room, having been thrown there carelessly an hour or two ago. Steven wanted to make a noise of disappointment, but stopped short, too mentally exhausted to even muster up a complaint.

* * *

 Anthony found himself staring up at the wisps of clouds, summer visibly fading into autumn. He wasn't sure how it made him feel. Summer was unburdened with school, but fall found piles of explosive colors, bonfires past dark, and the subtle chill of dry afternoons. Anthony shook the thoughts from his head, standing up to brush bit of grass off of his jeans. He turned to the house behind him, face somewhat blank. It was a nice house, well, nice for a two story suburban home, simple. His nose wrinkled as he frowned, thinking briefly of his own home, chock full of sisters. It was about the same size, but much more full, feeling especially cramped with his parents working messily through their divorce papers. His arms were chilled with goosebumps and he crossed them, contemplating going back inside. He cursed himself for not bringing his jacket outside. Anthony felt his nose and ears redden at the nippy air and chose to quickly make his way to the door, biting the inside of his mouth with cold widened eyes.

John wasn't there to be found, but the older Anthony was, sitting cross-legged on the olive hued sofa. Noticing the bag of chips in the pasty teenager's lap, he sat next to him, quiet. He was acknowledged with a short look, and that was all he needed.

* * *

Steven looked up at a noise, registering it as a knock far after John was already sitting on the edge of the bed. He sat up a bit, pulling a softer blanket with him to wrap around himself.

"Hey." The younger rubbed his eyes with a free hand, blinking slowly at John. 

"Did... Ah, hello. Di-Did you need- need something?" The older nodded, Steven noting that the other's patient smile wasn't a product of his patience so much as it was of his easygoing tilt.

"I mean... I guess?" John frowned at his own words, wanting to say something in a better way, wanted to sound more sure of himself. Steven understood him in that moment.

"...Are you... I mean- I- are you... alright?" The older stared into Steven's paling eyes for long seconds, before shaking his head, smile twitching. Steven bit his lip, waiting anxiously in that moment for something to happen. His ears were met with the faint noise of the heater.

"I... I can't help you." John looked down at his hands.

"I know." Steven stretched his limbs, taking in a long breath. He shook his head to shake out the soreness in his muscles. John held out the shirt he had retrieved from the corner of the room, but the younger shook his head, moving past John to open Anthony's closet. He took out a plaid shirt, briefly smiling as he saw a few others. Slipping it on and buttoning it up, it was clearly a size or two too big for him. John looked away with pursed lips and trembling fingers that tightened around the cloth in his hands. Steven, satisfied with himself, paused to acknowledge John, smiling serenely. The older turned back but quickly diverted his own vision to his bare feet. The younger, raising an eyebrow, moved past John and out the door.

* * *

Brown eyes stared down into a practically empty paper cup, the only reminder of the past ten minutes being a small pool of melted vanilla frozen yogurt.

"Can we come here again? I really like this place," Adam offered, looking back up at the man sitting across from him. Max looked up from where he had been trying to shove the long end of his spoon through one in a pattern of holes scattered on the steel tabletop.

"Oh, uh... I mean, I guess so. There isn't anything stopping us." Adam beamed at that, biting his lower lip before responding.

"Max, can I ask you something?" Max's muscles tensed ever-so-slightly, but he nodded, smiling.

"Anything."

"Max," Adam started, but trailed off, meeting the other's eyes. Max tapped the spoon softly, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Yes, Adam?" Adam opened his mouth again, but closed it, shaking his head with bright eyes.

"Nevermind." Max stopped tapping.

"No, tell me." Adam sighed dramatically before leaning forward a bit, smirking.

"Max, I just was thinking about something, but I should tell you later. It isn't... It isn't extremely appropriate for public places." Max's face flushed and he leaned back, arms crossing. 

"Oh my god, Adam... Is this really the time t-"

"My thoughts ex _actly,_ Max." He stood up, still holding the yogurt cup, and walked over to the trashcan on the other side of the small store. Max stared after him, a smile returning to his face.

* * *

There was an unspoken agreement among the four teenagers as they grouped together in the living room, the older Anthony and Steven occupying the couch while John sat by his brother's legs, the younger Anthony by Steven's. Steven stood up momentarily and turned on the TV with a long sigh, fingers messing with buttons and controllers shakily. Coming back to sit, his fingers twitched, eyes staring at the wall blankly. The older Anthony turned to his left and bumped shoulders with him, frowning when the younger didn't respond.

After a few lackluster races, the younger Anthony mentioned that he'd be picked up soon.

"You're lea- Well... Yeah. Seeya?" Anthony didn't smile, but he rewarded the older Anthony with a brief hug, then turning to speak to Steven. The two of them walked outside to speak, and John moved to sit on the couch, his brother sitting down next to him. They didn't say anything for a while, but Anthony finally hugged his older brother. He didn't apologize,- he didn't speak at all- he just gave him a stare and stood, walking away. John's face twitched, and he stared down at his hands in his lap.

After a few dauntingly quiet minutes, Steven arrived inside again with the slightly creaky opening of the front door. John looked up and offered a smile, but Steven only glanced at him for a second, making his way quickly past and up the stairs.

* * *

Pale fingers turned the radio volume dial, music gradually getting louder.

"Oh my god, Adam. Seriously?" Adam's face lit up as he tapped his fingers on the dashboard to 'Shape of You'. 

"You say that a lot."

* * *

 "So, you're wearing one of my shirts?" Steven looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been in here for like... ten- for like ten minutes or something, and you're only just now noticing this?" Anthony blushed faintly, laughing.

"Leave me alone! I was distracted!" The younger shook his head slowly, smiling then. 

"Soo... What'cha wanna do," Anthony asked, brown eyes lighting up. Steven blinked slowly, scooting closer to the center of the bed.

"Uhh... I- I dunno. You?" Anthony shrugged, staring at Steven with a warm look.

"Dude, your eyelashes are..." 

"My eyela-lashes are what?" 

"They're really cute, buddy," the older said, grinning toothily. Steven rolled his eyes, but kept smiling.

* * *

John stared down at his phone for several minutes at the messages, and his eyes flicked up to the blank notification bar as the corners of his mouth twitched into a frown. Standing up, he cupped his hands around his mouth, facing the stairs.

"ANTH! I'LL BE BACK IN A BIT, I'M GOING TO- I'M GOING OUT!" Hearing a muffled 'Okay', he went around to the kitchen, grabbing his book-bag and running out of the house haphazardly. Freezing when he felt the grass on his bare feet, he went back inside, slipping on black converse without any socks. Heading out of the door again, and started walking down the sidewalk after clearing the lawn, throwing his backpack on messily. Phone still in his hand, he pulled headphones out of his back pocket, untangling them as he walked. Putting them in his ears and plugging them in, his ears adjusted to the familiar blast of rock, unheard to the outside world.

He turned down a few streets, and, eventually, made his way to a gas station. Adjusting his bag to be more on his back, he walked through the mostly empty parking lot and actual gas station area, pushing open the door and going inside the store. Biting his bottom lip, he quickly headed back around to one of the back isles, eyes averted to the floor despite there being only a few people there. Setting his bag down, he browsed the shelves of slick, metal chargers to be plugged into cars. Peeking up over the shelf, he saw the girl and two guys he had seen while walking in.

_Are they seniors? I've seen them at school... I don't even know them, why am I nervous? Christ, John, stop being so fucking... so... Focus!_ Shaking his head, John brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes, eyes wide. Noting that the older teenagers were making their way out, he picked up his bag and started over to the snack isle, frowning at the food there. After several minutes, he walked to the refrigerators on the side wall of the store and pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew, shutting the door carefully. Dragging his bag over to the counter, he set down the drink, getting a five dollar bill from his pocket and giving it to the woman behind the counter. As she turned, her messy bun was almost falling loosely from the hairband, John feeling his heart skip a beat for a moment.

_If it comes out, I'm going to actually cry, jesus christ-_

"Here's your change, kid." Looking down at the counter, he took the two dollars and eighty cents, nose wrinkling.

_The price has gone up to $2.20? I didn't even notice!_ He smiled at the woman, pulse speeding up when she didn't say anything. He took the Mountain Dew and shoved it into his bag, heading out of the exit door by the counter. John walked through the parking lot, taking a few deep breaths of the outside, non-cluttered air.

* * *

 "Oh jeez, it's already 6? What the hell happened to today?" Adam shrugged, eyes focused on his phone.

"What'cha doin'?" Max walked over to his bed, looking down at Adam, hands on his hips. The younger glanced up and smiled innocently.

"Watching videos, why?" The older raised an eyebrow, laughing softly.

"Just wondering. Anyways, shouldn't you be, like... going home soon? You don't even live here!" Adam rolled his eyes.

"I basically live here. Besides, my parents are busy." He looked back down at his phone, blinking slowly.

"Are they?"

"Mhm." Max frowned for a moment, but took a deep breath and leaned down, kissing Adam's forehead. Adam didn't say anything, but smiled.

* * *

"You gunna eat dinner with us?" John shook his head, grinning weakly as he dragged his bag up the stairs to put into his room. Anthony turned to Steven with a worried look, but the younger was already eating the cereal that they had jokingly decided on for their meal.

* * *

"Tom!" The mentioned looked up from his notebook at the sound of his dad's voice, eyes lighting on his bedroom's doorway.

"Yeah?" His dad sighed, but eventually smiled, wrinkles visible by his eyes. 

"Just checking on you. Have you been alright? You've been in your room an awful lot lately." Tom laughed brightly, sitting up in his bed.

"Yes, dad, I'm fine. I've just been busy since school's started. Senior classes are a mess." The older man nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. 

"Well... If anything is bothering you, you can always tell me, okay?" 

"Okay, dad! I know!" Tom looked back down at his notebook then, pencil gripped tightly in his fingers, and his dad stayed in the doorway for a few minutes before leaving, closing the door behind himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the chapters are really long.  
> Chapter one is Thursday-Sunday and Chapter two will be Monday-Saturday, but all chapters after this will be Sunday-Saturday. Thanks for your understanding! I'll change this if I decide to do something different in the future!

_"Wake up! You've been asleep since, like... 8:30. How are you not awake yet? WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE, JACKASS!"_ John jolted up in bed, rolling his eyes at the sight of his younger brother, hands on his hips.

"Fuckin' Christ... Okay, okay, I'm AWAKE now, happy?" Anthony snorted, walking out of the room to let John get changed.

After he had slipped on a meme t-shirt and jeans, John went down the stairs, meeting up with Anthony and Steven eating breakfast in the kitchen.

"By the way," the youngest started. Anthony looked up from his plate of hot pockets expectantly.

"My mom and dad's jobs have actually nothing to do with parties, and they don't usually work weekends." Anthony almost started choking, much to John's puzzled amusement.

"Oookay then."

* * *

"I didn't spend three fucking years of my middle school life learning Spanish for this bullshit." Steven snorted at the muttered comment, trying to focus on his worksheet present versus preterite verbs.

"I don't think any of us did, honestly." The younger Anthony turned to his left, rolling his eyes.

"Speak for only us, 'cause lots of people actually like this class."

"Really," Steven asked. Before Anthony could answer, they both fell silent at a raised eyebrow from the teacher.

* * *

"Hey, Anthony, mind if I head out?" John looked at his younger brother.

"Got this text... Uh, from a friend." Anthony, laying on the couch on his back and texting Steven, simply nodded, not really paying attention.

John smiled to himself and made his way out the door, only his phone in hand. Staring down at the texts, he typed out a few messages, deleting all of them shortly before sending. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, unfolding it and putting the address written there into his phone. It was to a park he'd been to before, but he didn't want to get lost. Folding it back up, he put it into his pocket again, focusing on his phone as he walked down the sidewalk. Looking up, he saw he needed to go across a crosswalk, and started on it, checking his phone again, confirming that he needed to walk across the street. Somewhere halfway in between the sidewalks, he bumped into somebody, dropping his phone. He froze, eyes wide, and looked at the person standing in front of him. The stranger quickly picked up John's phone and handed it to him, smiling sympathetically.

"Uh- Well, sorry about that, but we should probably stop standing in the middle of the road because the crosswalk is going off in a couple seconds." John nodded silently, and let himself be taken off to the side of the road, back where he had started.

"Are you okay? You look kinda... You look like you're about to vomit." John shook his head and coughed, face flushed. 

"N-No just... Jesus fuckin' Christ, I-Pardon my language-I didn't think that I was gunna bump into anybody," John said, looking up again at the stranger. "By the way, what's your name? You look familiar... Do you go to my school?" 

"Uh, my name's Tom!" John smiled weakly, but Tom somehow managed a wide grin.

"Again, sorry about your phone. Is it okay? I didn't check when I picked it up." John looked down at the object in his hand, and saw that the screen's top left corner had a crack that extended down to just left of the center.

"Shit, I-"

"No, uh, sorry about that, I should have been watching where I was going," Tom interrupted. 

"But I was looking down at my phone," John said, looking back up at Tom with wide eyes. Tom waved his hand dismissively, still grinning lopsidedly. 

"Trust me, I'm taller, I should've been able to see you. But is your dad- mom and dad going to be upset with you?" John frowned, shaking his head.

"No, my mom probably wouldn't be upset, but she'd want to buy me a new phone and I don't really wanna stress her out and all..." Tom nodded slowly, and John's eyes narrowed.

"By th- Just a random question, by the way, did you... have you sent me any texts ever? Sorry that- Wow, that probably sounds weird." Tom raised an eyebrow and laughed nervously.

"U-Uh... No? Fuck, I sound guilty as hell, but why do you ask?" John turned red and looked away.

"No reason."

* * *

Anthony frowned suddenly, looking at Steven's contact name. Going into settings, he changed it, eyes lighting up.

Steven ❤: Oh, sure

Steven ❤: IDK if Galm will want to go, though

Anthony grimaced, responding.

You: I can maybe ask adam??? if its just us and john it'll be weird

Steven ❤: Oh yeah your friend? Isn't he a senior?

You: Yup, but hes nice. he and john and I play gmod together sometimes? mostly just him and max and i though

Steven ❤: ??? Who's Max?

You: uhhhhh 

You: Well hes adam's boyfriend 

Steven ❤: Oh

You: and they've been dating for a while

Steven ❤: Do you just know every gay person at school, or what?

Anthony laughed to himself, sitting up and leaning against the arm of the couch as he answered.

You: Just about,honestly

You: Im like a drug dealer if being gay was a drug

You: Thats not a great metaphore

Steven ❤: Yeah, I was gunna say

Anthony looked up at the door when John walked in, turning back momentarily before walking inside.

You: one sec, john just got home

Steven ❤: That's fine, my mom just called me down for dinner anyways. TTYL?

You: yeah, seeya!

"Hey, you got home quick. What happened?" John looked up at his brother after shutting the door, walking over to the couch.

"Oh, uh," John stuttered, sitting down by his brother, who turned to sit normally. "Well, my phone-"

"Oh my god, you cracked your phone? Really?" John sighed.

"Not exactly... I was walking to- to the... to the park, and y'know the cross walk on Grand and Shady street? I think it goes across to Jefferson and something, but... That one?" Anthony nodded, putting his phone in his back pocket as he stood.

"Yup."

"Well I bumped like... fuckin' headfirst into this guy and dropped my phone." Anthony snorted.

"You weren't paying attention?" John rolled his eyes, standing up as well and went into the kitchen, setting his phone down on the counter. Anthony followed.

"Well, yeah, but he wasn't either, soooo. Also he's a senior at our school or something? It was weird." Anthony nodded, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a plastic zip lock bag with pizza slices in it.

"Mom called while you were out and said she's gunna be home late, so we should just have leftovers." John nodded, but grinned slightly then.

"Wow, you answered? I thought you were too busy texting your boyfriend." Anthony flushed slightly and sighed, opening the bag and taking out a slice, setting the bag on the counter and grabbing his phone.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments! Thank you for keeping up with this story~
> 
> * * *
> 
> ####  Special thanks to [deanstrenchcoatangel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanstrenchcoatangel/profile), [Egbert_Strider_Vantas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Egbert_Strider_Vantas/profile), [PigeonMaster69](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PigeonMaster69/profile), and [My_Little_Quinnian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Little_Quinnian/profile) because they read a lot of my stories even though I'm not consistent and not that great at writing. :)


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